10/9/24 Hometown Broadcasting News Wednesday
9 October 2024 News
NO NEED FOR LIGHTS AND SIRENS
The Waushara County Sheriff’s Department recently posted this photo on their Facebook page capturing the beauty of the Northern Lights. The picture was taken near the Silver Lake boat landing Monday night.
FDL COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY ASSISTS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY PURSUIT
A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputy used a maneuver during a Washington County pursuit of a vehicle to bring the fleeing vehicle to a stop. Washington County Sheriff’s deputies tried to stop a vehicle for multiple equipment violations on Interstate 41 northbound late Monday night. They were able to identify the driver as a 32-year-old Milwaukee woman. Deputes deployed a tire deflation device near County Highway D in the Town of Wayne, which slowed the vehicle. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputy then used a maneuver to force the fleeing vehicle to turn 180 degrees and come to a stop. The Milwaukee woman is facing multiple charges. In addition she was wanted on a warrant from Milwaukee County for a previous fleeing incident. A passenger in her vehicle, a 34-year-old Milwaukee man, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for cocaine possession along with a new charge from Washington County for drug paraphernalia possession.
WISCONSIN TASK FORCE RETURNS FROM NORTH CAROLINA
Sixteen members of Wisconsin’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, also known as Wisconsin Task Force 1, are back from North Carolina where they provided assistance in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Rescue team manager Doug Vrechek says it was a rough trip with road conditions and detours turning the usual 16 hour journey into one that lasted 23.5 hours. North Carolina Emergency Management requested a swift water rescue team to assist with search efforts. The Wisconsin Task Force left their homes from across the state on September 27th. Some of their days would start at 6:30 am and could end as late as 8:30 pm. Members of Wisconsin Task Force 1 deployed to North Carolina were from fire departments from Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, Neenah/Menasha, Oshkosh, and Superior.
RIPON COMMON COUNCIL APPROVES CHANGE IN ATV/UTV HOURS
The Ripon Common Council last night approved amending a city ordinance to allow ATV/UTV use in the city from 6 am to 11 pm. For the past year the hours were set at 7 am to 9 pm. The Country Roads ATV and UTV Club had asked the city to consider changing the hours to 4:30 am to 11:59 pm. The Council discussed changing the hours to 4:30 am to midnight, but that was voted down by a 5 to 3 vote. Mayor Ted Grant told the Council although he didn’t have a vote in the matter, he had talked to people living in the neighborhood of Alliance Laundry Systems and others. He said he felt people should have a reasonable expectation of being able to sleep at night. Following the failure to change the hours Alderperson Jolene Schatzinger made a motion to allow ATV/UTV use from 6 am to 10 pm and then entertained a friendly amendment to make that from 6 am to 11 pm. That motion passed by a 6 to 2 vote.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB RECEIVE STATE GRANT FOR RIPON FACILITY
Tuesday Governor Tony Evers, who chairs the Wisconsin State Building Commission, announced the approval of a total of $160.8 million in key projects around the state. Among those projects a $551,000 Non-State Grant will go to the Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area to assist in the construction of the new site being built in Ripon. The Commission approved a total of $160.8 million in key projects around the state, including $50 million for 50 projects in communities across Wisconsin funded through the new Non-State Grant Program.
WASHINGTON COUNTY WINS BATTLE OVER SEX OFFENDER PLACEMENT
Washington County authorities were able to win a battle to keep a sexually violent offender from Outagamie County from being placed in a community based residential facility in the Town of Trenton. Sixty-two-year-old Paul Schabow was committed as a sexually violent person on July 18th, 1997. A canvass by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office found a couple of valid reasons for the court to reconsider placement. The Sheriff’s office made door-to-door contact with 122 homes within a 1500 foot radius of the proposed placement. A motion to intervene in the placement was filed in Outagamie County Court. During a hearing in Outagamie County Court it was decided not to place Schabow in Washington County because the place where he would be treated cannot meet his treatment needs. The court is exploring a proposed placement elsewhere.
INTERSTATE 41 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Governor Tony Evers recently signed a $25.9 million contract to improve 14.2 miles of I-41 from County Highway D or Military Road in Fond du Lac to State Highway 26 in Winnebago County. Construction begins on Monday, October 21st and is expected to finish in October of 2025. Interstate 41 will remain open with lane closures during off-peak/nighttime hours. Local road closures are anticipated. The prime contractor for the project is Northeast Asphalt of Greenville.
I-41 Resurfacing – Fond du Lac/Winnebago – Fond du Lac and Winnebago and Counties (511wi.gov)
TRACKING A SMELLY PROBLEM IN OSHKOSH
The sweet smell of success isn’t something Oshkosh residents on the south side of the city have been complaining about in recent weeks. The City’s wastewater treatment plant staff, engineering, and other departments went on a hunt for the source of the foul odor coming from homes and offices. City Councilman Jacob Floam says the area was canvassed and gas readings were taken to make sure they weren’t at dangerous levels. They took readings for four types of gases, but methane and hydrogen sulfide in particular. Floam says there were a couple of theories about the source of the smell as well. He says roadwork on 7th and 8th Avenue where there is a large interceptor drain may have been where something got caught up. The other theory was that an industry may have changed a formula or chemical it was using that involved a process where a large amount of water is used. One industry was identified and they agreed to change their process.
TRUNK OR TREAT IN RIPON
The Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Boys & Girls Club of the Tri-County Area Trunk or Treat from 4 to 5:30 pm on Wednesday, October 16th. It will be in the Chamber’s parking lot at 401 Watson Street. Chamber Executive Director Mandy Kimes says it is the Club’s first-ever Trunk or Treat in Ripon. She says any business, group or organization can sign up to participate, but the deadline is today. They are anticipating 200 to 300 kids will stop by to get candy. Kimes says it is a great way to kick off the Halloween season if you need the motivation. The Ripon College Men’s Basketball Team has signed up to volunteer for the event. There is an online site to register to participate. Anyone with questions can call the Club at 920-361-2717 and ask for Amy or Kassidy.
2024 Trunk or Treat- Ripon Site (google.com)
MPTC REACCREDITED
The Higher Learning Commission recently reaffirmed Moraine Park Technical College’s accreditation through the 2033-34 academic year. The significant achievement underscores MPTC’s dedication to providing high-quality education. Accreditation by the Commission is a mark of excellence that assures students, employers, and the community that Moraine Park meets or exceeds the essential standards for quality in education. It also enables students to access federal financial aid and ensures that credits earned are more easily transferable to other institutions. The reaffirmation process typically occurs every ten years.
VISIT TO RADIO ROAD
Hometown Broadcasting got a visit to its studios on Radio Road in Ripon, the son of an owner of one of the first radio stations in the city. Tim Bice’s father Arlo “Butch” Bice Jr. bought what was then WCWC in July of 1961. He sold his share in October of 1971 when Tim was 11 years old. Arlo died of a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1981. Tim says his father was a businessman who was able to make enough money in his ventures to retire around the age of 35 when he dabbled in gold. Tim moved to Florida 35 years ago and recently moved back to the area. He is living in Green Lake. He says he is impressed with how much the technology has changed for radio over the years. Tim’s mother Jeanne was a business success as well. She started a clothing line in Ripon, which eventually morphed into the Quacker Factory. She became a regular on QVC selling millions of dollars’ worth of clothing. She passed away at the age of 71 in June of 2011. As for WCWC it eventually became WRPN the WAVE 93.1 FM and AM 1600.
Share |